


Offense and Defense

by Babenclaw



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Gen, Kind of the Wayfinder Trio OT3?, Like there's no kissy face or anything, Take Your Fandom to Work Day, and live in an apartment together just the three of them, but they platonically love each other very much, undergraduate stress
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-01
Updated: 2016-06-01
Packaged: 2018-07-11 16:50:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7061128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Babenclaw/pseuds/Babenclaw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Or: The one where Aqua takes on an undergraduate thesis and tries to kill herself in the process. Luckily, Terra and Ven aren’t exactly going to let that happen.</p><p>Written for Take Your Fandom to Work Day 2016.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Offense and Defense

Aqua bit the inside of her cheek nervously, her pencil scratching across the lined paper of her notebook. Her hair was pushed back by a headband, hidden under the hood of her far-too-big hoodie. Her right leg bounced absently under the table as she wrote, ignoring the way her wrist cramped and her eyes ached. Her table was scattered with empty paper coffee cups from the cafe on the second floor of the library, hardbound books from the shelves surrounding her, crumpled balls of paper covered in angry lines and chicken scratch. 

The floor around her was silent, though not empty. Aqua had picked the fourth floor for that reason. Sure, the shelves on literary analysis were up here, but it was the quiet that really drew her. The higher in the library you went, the quieter the floors became. Up this high, people barely talked. The only sounds to be heard were the clicking of computer keys and the scratching of pens and pencils. 

She paused for a moment and rubbed her burning red eyes, leaning back in her chair and feeling her spine crackle in relief. She only allowed herself a moment to enjoy the comfort, though, before she yanked one of the books closer to her and started flipping furiously through it, searching for the passage she’d cited for the first time four and a half months ago. Her temples pounded.

The sound of the chair next to her being pulled out startled her so badly she nearly dropped the heavy book in her hands. She opened her mouth, halfway through telling whoever they were off for coming within five feet of her table, only to bite her tongue.

“Terra?” she said, her voice near silent from location and disuse. 

Terra pushed a fresh cup of coffee toward her. Aqua almost lit up at the sight, carefully taking a sip of the steaming liquid. The warmth spread through her body, triggering a shiver down her spine. She sighed and gave him an exhausted smile.

“You’re an angel,” she whispered. Terra shook his head fondly and pulled the book away from her.

“It’s break time, Aqua. You’ve been here for three days. Ven and I both miss you.” Frown lines creased his forehead, and Aqua almost felt bad. Almost.

She frowned instead, gripping her coffee mug tighter. “I am taking a break.”

Terra huffed. “You are not,” he said a little too loudly, causing a guy at the table behind Aqua to shush him angrily. Terra made an apologetic face and turned back to Aqua, leaning in and lowering his voice even more. “At least come take a walk with me. Ten minutes.”

Aqua slowly set her coffee cup down, biting her cheek again as she looked over the piles of books and cups surrounding her laptop and her notebook full of scribbled messages.

“I really shouldn’t...” she whispered, fidgeting nervously with the pull strings on her hoodie. 

Terra gently took hold of her wrists. “Your health is important, Aqua. C’mon.”

Aqua sighed and very slowly started to pack up. Terra gathered up all the library books and carried them to the return cart while Aqua threw all the empty cups away. Her legs shook from the effort of carrying her own weight after sitting for so long. When she returned to her table, Terra had already packed up her laptop and notebooks and shouldered her bag. Aqua, too exhausted to argue with him, only quietly led the way out of the library.

They picked a spot in the grass near the huge fountain outside. The sun sparkled off the water. It made Aqua’s eyes hurt. She pulled her hoodie off, leaving her only in a tank top and the running shorts she’d had on underneath. Terra took the hoodie from her, folding it into a pillow and laying back.

“I’d wondered where my hoodie went,” he said, a laugh in his voice. Aqua sighed and rested her head on his chest, shivering a bit in the pounding sunlight.

“Your hoodie, my hoodie. Same thing,” Aqua said into his chest, allowing her eyes to drift closed. Terra pulled the headband gently off of her head and started to gently card his fingers through her hair.

“Ven and I miss you,” he said after a while. Aqua, who was half asleep at this point, managed an absent hum. Terra sighed. “I’m serious, Aqua. You can’t keep doing this to yourself. Java City sandwiches and coffee for three days isn’t healthy.”

Aqua whined quietly. “I have to finish my thesis...”

“Your thesis is done. It’s fine, it’s wonderful,” Terra asserted. Aqua only sighed again, listening to the sound of laughter and chatter around her. In the distance, she could hear a siren. Campus sounded just the same as always.

“Dr. Mentain says I need more citations,” she said. “It’s due this Friday, Terra. My defense is in two weeks.”

“I know, I know,” Terra said, moving his hand down to rub her back. Aqua nearly purred in pleasure. “But you can’t think like this. You’ve been in the library since Thursday. It’s Saturday.”

Aqua whined quietly into the material of his shirt. “I know.”

“Come home,” Terra said. “Take a shower. Eat a pizza or three with Ven and I. Sleep. I promise the library will still be here tomorrow.”

Aqua slowly opened her eyes and peered up at him. The sun hurt her bloodshot eyes. Her headache had lessened, but the thought of pizza had her stomach rumbling. 

“Please?” Terra tried. “We can watch a movie, just the three of us.”

It was the look in his eyes that did it. Aqua sighed and nodded into the fabric covering his chest. “Okay,” she sighed.

Terra laughed and returned to running her fingers through her hair. “Good. You really need a shower.”

Aqua huffed, trying to hide her own giggles. “Way to make a girl feel beautiful, huh?”

Terra smiled and closed his eyes, just enjoying the sunlight and her weight on his chest. “I try.”

Aqua wasn't sure exactly when she fell asleep. Terra woke her a couple hours later as the sun started to set, drawing a whining noise from her in protest. Terra chuckled and sat up, gently gathering her to him and helping her to stand on her feet. She stumbled behind him to the bus stop, shivering until Terra noticed and bundled her up in his hoodie again. She yawned, hiding her open mouth with the too-long sleeve, and leaned against him as the bus trundled off of campus and down the main road to the apartment complex where she lived with Terra and Ventus.

The bus pulled to a stop in their complex. Terra helped her gently off of the bus and into the quickly gathering dusk, allowing her to lean on him as he lead her to their apartment. He was halfway through getting the door unlocked when it was thrown open by Ven. Ven grinned widely when he saw Aqua before he stepped out of the way to let them both in. Terra led her inside while Ven closed and locked the door behind them. 

“Welcome home, Aqua!” Ven chirped as he returned to his blanket nest on the couch. Aqua waved tiredly, causing Terra to laugh and nudge her down the hallway. “Go shower, Aqua. I’ll order pizza.”

“Pizza?!” Ven shouted in excitement, bouncing on the couch. Even in her exhaustion, Ven’s energy was contagious, and Aqua couldn’t help but smile.

“Can we get one with mushrooms and pineapple?” She asked. Ven made a face at her.

“Yes, we can get your gross pizza. Go shower,” Terra responded, already dialing the number from the magnet on their fridge. Aqua nodded and made her way down the hall to her room.

Her shower was wonderful, even though she nearly fell asleep in the five minutes she took to sit on the side of the tub and shave her legs. She’d forgotten what her hair felt like when it wasn’t full of grease. She honestly couldn’t understand how Terra could handle touching her hair, as gross as it was. Eurgh.

She took her time, scrubbing her body clean and even putting on lotion. By the time she was done and pulling on her favorite pair of soft sleep shorts and a shirt she’d stolen from Ven. She seemed to steal a lot of their clothes, actually. A laugh escaped her as she tugged the shirt on over her head, the combination of the warmth from her shower and the relaxation of not being hunched over a library table. Her eyelids were heavy and her stomach was grumbling at the idea of pizza.

By the time she’d finished brushing her hair, she could smell the pizza from the living room. She made her way into the living room barefoot, dragging her favorite soft blanket behind her. Ven and Terra had already cleared off the coffee table and recovered it in three pizza boxes and a couple bottles of soda and juice. Aqua claimed the middle cushion of the couch immediately, snagging the box with her mushroom and pineapple pizza and setting it in her lap along with a bottle of water. Terra and Ven appeared soon after, both of them in sweatpants. They sat on either side of her, Terra on her right and Ven on her left. Aqua dug into her pizza immediately, prompting Ven to laugh at her excitement. She was usually so demure when she ate, seeing her eat like this was entertaining. 

Aqua tore through three slices before setting her box back on the table. She yawned and relaxed back, resting her head on Terra’s shoulder. Her eyes fluttered sleepily. Ven laughed, halfway through his own pizza. Terra only adjusted, wrapping an arm around her as he continued to eat his own food. 

Aqua lazily registered the television turning on, but the exhaustion was quickly overwhelming her. When combined with her full stomach and the warmth of the two bodies on either side of her, it was no wonder that she was fading fast. She fell asleep curled between her two favorite boys, so very happy to be able to call them hers.

* * *

 

The week positively flew by, and before Aqua knew it, it was time for her defense.

She fidgeted nervously with the hem of her fancy dress, staring at the door through which her thesis committee would soon enter. Her hands shook minutely in her lap, the panic mounting in her chest. What if she failed? What if they rejected her thesis, decided that her thesis wasn’t good enough? She wouldn’t graduate, she would fail her entire thesis. A shudder wracked her spine.

The door opened and she nearly leaped out of her chair, but it was only Ven and Terra, both in casual jeans and t-shirts. Ven was trying to not-so-subtly hide something behind his back. Aqua couldn’t help the small smile at the sight of Ven’s shiftiness.

“Hey,” Terra said, crouching down to pull her into a gentle hug. “It’s gonna be fine, okay? Heck, at this point you’ve practiced so much that I think _I_ could give your thesis defense.”

“Yeah, Aqua!” Ven chimed in, smiling widely from over Terra’s shoulder. “You’re gonna do great, I know you are!”

Aqua gave them both a watery smile, the combination of her nerves and the sheer love she felt for the two of them threatening to overwhelm her. She knew that Ven had gotten up early to be here at her 9am defense, and Terra was skipping a class to be here. Terra never skipped classes, not when he could avoid it. The two of them being here meant so much to her.

“Thanks, guys,” she replied, swallowing back her nerves. She released Terra and opened her arms for a hug for Ven, who laughed nervously and shook his head. Aqua laughed and nodded toward the seats at the back of the room, behind the long table with three high-backed leather desk chairs.“You guys should sit down. My committee should be here any minute.”

Terra and Ven both nodded and headed toward the back of the room. Aqua tried not to laugh as Ven walked backwards to a chair next to Terra. She was kind enough to look away while Ven situated whatever was behind his back so he could sit down comfortably.

The door opened again, this time letting in a few other students. All thesis defenses were open to the university as a whole Aqua recognized a few of her fellow thesis writers, probably here to see what they should expect at their own defenses. Her nerves skyrocketed again.

When her committee walked in, Aqua nearly forgot how to breathe. It was only Ven’s goofy smile and big thumbs up that reminded her that she would be fine, that everything would be okay. She cleared her throat nervously and stood.

The defense itself went by in a blur. Aqua remembered almost nothing of the defense. She spoke about her thesis in length, citing experts and talking about the ways her research could affect other areas of research. She answered questions calmly and concisely, as if she had not a fear in the world.

There were only a few things that really stood out to her. She remembered Terra’s smile and bright blue eyes. She remembered Ven’s excitement every time she answered a question and her committee members showed approval. And she remembered their clapping when she finally finished and her committee pronounced her thesis complete.

Aqua was still in a state of shock as she thanked her committee members, shook their hands and said goodbye. The next thing she remembered was Ven grabbing her in one of the tightest hugs she’d experienced, trapping her arms to her sides. From over Ven’s shoulder, Aqua could see Terra standing nearby with a wide smile on his face, now apparently the one hiding whatever it was behind his back.

“You did it, Aqua!” Ven shouted, releasing her only to grab her hands and grin up at her. “I knew you could do it!”

Aqua blinked, a smile slowly creeping its way across her face. “I... I did?”

Terra laughed and pulled a huge bouquet of flowers out from behind his back. “You did it. Congrats.”

Aqua took the bouquet with shaking hands, clinging it to her chest.

Ven laughed and tugged on her arm. “C’mon, Aqua, we’re gonna go get food to celebrate!”

Terra came around and hooked his arm through her free elbow, putting her in the center of them both. “Yeah. You deserve it.” He lowered his voice playfully, making sure Ven could still hear. “And Ven has been talking about wanting chocolate chip pancakes all morning.”

Ven pouted and stuck his tongue out at Terra from Aqua’s other side. “Traitor!”

Aqua laughed, her head back out of sheer joy, and she allowed her two boys to lead her out of the room. Chocolate chip pancakes actually sounded really, really good.

* * *

 

“So what happens next?” Ven asked through a huge mouthful of pancake. Aqua made a face and waved her fork at him.

“Gross, Ven,” Terra said through his own, much more manageable bite of food. Aqua laughed and shook her head, swallowing her own mouthful of food before speaking.

“The both of you, I swear. No manners,” Aqua said, her eyes sparking with laughter. It felt like someone had lifted a two ton weight off of her shoulder, like she might just float away from the relief of being done.

Ven scrunched his nose up at them both but swallowed his food. “Yup. So what now?”

Aqua shrugged, poking at a strawberry on her plate. “I submit my thesis for publication. It’ll be available in the library database by the end of the summer.”

Ven grinned in excitement. “That’s so cool! You’re gonna be published!”

Terra smiled and wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Seriously, Aqua. THat’s really cool.”

Aqua smiled shyly, still not used to the idea herself. “It’s weird. I’ve been working on this for two years. Now that I’m done... I don’t know what to do.”

Terra grinned. “You actually come home at night with us.”

Aqua laughed and tossed her straw wrapper at him. “You say that like I haven’t been home at all.”

“You come in at two in the morning and leave by seven,” Ven said, smirking at her over his glass of orange juice. “You may as well not be home.”

Terra laughed at Aqua’s mortified face. “He’s got you there, Aqua.”

Aqua smiled at them both. “Well, I promise I’ll be home more for now on.”

Ven smiled brightly, shoving another huge forkful of pancake into his mouth. “Awesome!” he said, his mouth still full of food.

Aqua laughed. “Ventus!”

Ven swallowed and gave her an innocent grin. “Yes?”

Aqua could only laugh harder, her relief making everything five times funnier. She was so lucky to have friends like them.

**Author's Note:**

> Written as part of Take Your Fandom to Work Day 2016.
> 
> Undergraduate thesis has been one of the best and worst experiences of my life.


End file.
